The Difference Between Trust And Truth
by maybe-sometime-soon
Summary: They didn't have a perfect life, but it was the only one they wanted. One moment and one decision changed everything. Is everything ruined forever? Or will they find a way to get back what they had? AU/AH
1. Chapter One

_A/N: This disclaimer is for every chapter hereafter. I do not own Twilight, its characters, or its affiliates. The entire series belongs to Stephanie Meyer._

* * *

It seemed such a natural thing, waking up here in this place. The brown fabric of the old couch-the one they had found years ago placed out at the curb of a house they had driven past-was comforting because it was a constant-just like the rest of this tiny apartment. The thick quilt on top of him was just as comforting. Made of dozens of t-shirts from dozens of states (a graduation present from her mother), the blanket conjured up nostalgic scenes of picnics, drive-in movies, and other mornings like this one.

In fact, mornings like this had always been pretty common. At least, since he had turned 21. Bella's apartment was closer to the downtown bars than his own home. And, just like all of the other mornings, he looked towards the coffee table directly in front of him to find a tall glass of water and the bottle of Advil.

"Time to get up." He spoke aloud to himself. He braced himself for the throbbing pain he knew would appear as soon as he sat upright, and lifted his upper body off the couch. He rested there for a moment while the lightheadedness subsided. He reached for the bottle of Advil, opened it in a swift, practiced movement and dumped a few into his hand and then threw those directly into his mouth. Grabbing the water with his other hand, Edward drank half of the glass. With a noise that sounded like the mix between a groan and a sigh, he stood up and with the glass of water and bottle of Advil in tow, he crossed the short distance to the kitchen.

He knew that Bella was awake because a steaming pot of coffee was half full on the counter and both the powdered creamer and sugar jars were left open. Bella had never been very tidy. He finished his glass of water and put it in the dishwasher before pouring himself a cup of black coffee. He put the creamer and sugar back in proper order, but didn't use any for himself. Then, he walked around the corner to the bathroom and put away the Advil (and folded a hand towel which was thrown on the counter haphazardly).

Across the hall from the bathroom was the next stop of the morning. The door was mostly closed, but not latched tightly. He knocked anyway.

"Come in, drunkie," said an amused, airy voice. Edward chuckled lowly and pushed the door open. Bella was sitting in her bed, coffee in one hand and a book in the other. She looked warm and comfortable.

"'Morning," was Edward's only reply. She laughed and patted the empty space next to her. He shuffled his way to the bed and sat down carefully so he wouldn't spill his coffee. He lifted her book a bit so that he could read the title (Wuthering Heights). His grunt seemed to imply that she had read this particular book too many times. She pulled the book from his reach and set it on her bedside table with her coffee.

"Don't hate. It's a good book," she said snarkily.

"Never said it wasn't," Edward replied. "So how bad was I last night?" He grimaced and waited for the bad news.

"Oh, nothing too terrible. You broke up with Rebecca." Bella told him casually. He gasped and his eyes got very large.

"I did not! Did I?" Worry covered his face.

"Okay, no, you didn't. But you should."

"Damnit, Bella, what's your deal with Rebecca? You never had any issue with Amy or Jessie."

"Amy was delightful, and Jessie was a fling. Neither of them were ho bitches," Bella said, crossing her arms.

"Why can't you just try and get along with her? For my sake? I really like her, Bee."

Bella rolled her eyes and uncrossed her arms. Her voice was much softer as she responded, "I know you do. Which is why I am trying. Most of the time. Last night after we all decided you had had enough to drink, Rebecca and I both tried to convince you to take a cab with her to your place. But you kept blabbering on about the 'trash couch' and how it was better. So she got pissed and I brought you here. See? I tried to be on her side, but she's a bitch, so it's pretty much impossible."

"The trash couch again?" Edward started laughing. "Why do I call it that when I'm drunk?"

This sent Bella into a giggling fit. "I have no idea, but don't call my couch that. I love Groucho!"

"But I can call him Groucho...named after the muppet who lives in a trash can?"

"It's classier."

As the teasing and laughter continued, Edward all but forgot that he was upset with Bella for calling his girlfriend names. This was the way with them...neither of them could stay angry at the other for very long. They just learned to accept one another's faults and quirks over the lifetime that they had known each other. The relationship between Edward and Bella had always been...different. It was not a relationship easily understood (especially by significant others), and they were under constant pressure to alter their relationship or redefine it by friends and family. These two were happy with their relationship the way it was, and had not the slightest intention to change it.

A morning like this one was rather typical on the weekends. While Edward had his own home a few miles away, he was much more likely to spend the entire weekend at Bella's small apartment so they could go bar hopping with their friends. After the evening of festivities, Edward (and sometimes others) would stagger the few minutes to Bella's apartment and crash. While the apartment was tiny, it was certainly a convenient location for the group of partiers.

The partiers were all very close family and friends of Edward and Bella. Almost the entire group had been born and raised in Forks, Washington and had made the move to Port Angeles nearly simultaneously. Edward's older brother, Emmett had made the move after he and his wife, Rosalie, got married. Shortly after, Edward moved into a modest home in the town. Alice moved next, moving in with her boyfriend, Jasper, who had lived in Port Angeles for several years with his family. Lastly, Bella moved into her apartment to be closer to her friends and all the fun. Also usually included in their weekend romps were a few friends from Forks: Jacob, Seth, and Leah. Of course, Edward's girlfriend, Rebecca, was always invited as well.

When Edward and Bella weren't partying, they spent a good majority of their time working. Edward worked for a real estate company doing mostly receptionist duties until he worked up enough status to become a realtor. His college education seemed to mean nothing when compared to the hierarchy of the employees at the company. Bella, on the other hand, was very fond of her job at the local library. She spent most of her time at work doing research for companies in the area.

Really, weekends were the only opportunity for the friends to get together. So, Sunday mornings were usually reserved for spending relaxing quality time together-sometimes with a large group of them (if they had all decided to sleep over), but usually Sundays were for Bella and Edward only. They both valued this time together and made the most of it. This meant that even if they were irritated with one another, like Edward had been with Bella, they would quickly forget about it. Their time was spent more productively that way.

Truthfully, it was a good thing that they actively sought to spend their time together in such a way. This happy time in their life would certainly not last forever-in fact, it was devastatingly close to ending.

_A/N: Thanks for reading! What do you think is going to happen to our favorite characters? Leave me a review with your thoughts! Updates will come about twice a week-sometimes more, but never less than once a week._


	2. Chapter Two

Bella and Edward had always been connected—in some way. This connection began before they were even born. Esme Cullen, Edward's mother, and Renee Swan, Bella's mother, had been sorority sisters at the University of Washington. It was at this college that they met their future husbands, Carlisle and Charlie. Charlie was from Forks, Washington, and after college went to work for the police force of the town. Renee, who had majored in Health and Nutrition, followed him to Forks after they were married her Senior year. Renee had been from Seattle. Esme, on the other hand, married Carlisle (a med student) and remained with him at UDub until he graduated. During this time, she received a degree in Interior Design and a Master's Degree in Architecture. They then moved to California because he had gotten a job there.

Renee was unhappy from the beginning. She did not want to live in Small Town, USA, and preferred the hustle and bustle of the big city. When Esme got pregnant with Emmett, her first son, Renee made the trip to California to be with her Sister. Renee immediately fell in love with the baby and wanted one of her own. She figured that having a baby would liven up her life. She and Charlie began to actively try to have a baby. It took them longer than either of them had anticipated, but a year and a half later, Renee had finally gotten pregnant. This was an especially happy time because just two month previous, Esme had gotten pregnant as well. They talked to each other constantly on the phone, and Esme even found out the sex of Renee's baby before Charlie did. Esme and Renee decided then that their children, a boy and a girl, were definitely going to get married. They planned to get together after the babies were born, but this plan continually fell through year after year. Esme had gotten pregnant again the year after, with her last child—a daughter named Alice. Esme couldn't make the trip out to Washington with three small children, and Renee couldn't afford to make the trip to California.

However, luck was on their side. Carlisle was offered a job at the hospital in Forks. It did not pay more than his job in California, but instead of working in the E.R., he would be working in the O.R. It was a more interesting job to him, and he knew that Esme would love to be nearer to her best friend. Edward and Bella were six years old.

From that point of, Edward and Bella could not have prevented their friendship even if they wanted to do so. Their mothers were constantly together, which means so were Edward and Bella. Not only did Bella become good friends with Edward, but also with Emmett and Alice. The four kids spent all of their time together. Because Edward and Bella had started first grade together in Forks, their friendship only grew stronger as they grew up together both inside and outside of the classroom.

**1997**

In the third grade, Bella and Edward were invited to their first co-ed party. Of course, it wasn't a sleepover, and it was chaperoned by the host's (Jessica Stanley) parents. During the evening, while the Stanley's were watching television upstairs, the kids gathered downstairs to play a game of Spin-the-Bottle. Bella had been nervous for the game because she was still very intimidated by boys at this age. She didn't count Edward as "one of the boys" because she had always thought of him the same that she thought of Emmett—more 'brother' than 'real boy'. Edward, on the other hand, was very excited for the game. He knew several girls at the party that he wanted to kiss. The boys and girls sat in a circle with the girls comprising one half of the circle and the boys the other. Jessica Stanley went first because it was her party, and was thrilled when the bottle pointed itself at Mike Newton. They gave each other an awkward kiss, everyone laughed, and they returned to their seats in the circle. Edward went next because he was sitting to the right of Mike. He crawled to the center of the circle on his hands and knees and spun the bottle forcefully. He waited with a worried expression while it spun and once it finally began to slow down, he followed the slow circle of the bottle with his eyes until it came to a complete stop. It was pointed directly at Bella. She let out a gasp and looked from the bottle to Edward. He sat up and rested his butt on his heels and gave her a weird look.

Jessica Stanley gave Bella a shove, "Well, go on."

Bella stood up, walked to the center of the circle and sat down on her knees as well. Edward placed his hands on her shoulders awkwardly and then moved in to give her a kiss. The peck lasted less than a second, but both Bella and Edward blushed deeply. Again, the circle let out raucous laughter and Bella and Edward had scurried back to their seats. Luckily for them, Mr. Stanley had come down the stairs to see why everyone had been laughing so loudly. He immediately put a stop to the game and suggested that everyone return home. In such a small town, most of the kids were neighbors and walked home. Bella and Edward were no different. They walked towards their houses in the pale light of the streetlamps. While most of their walk home was spent in a strange silence, Edward was to break it.

"I'm glad it landed on you." He said to her.

She looked at him carefully before answering, "Thanks, but I know you wanted to kiss Lauren."

"I don't know. I thought I did, but I would have been scared. It wasn't scary with you."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Bella replied and smiled. "Does this mean that we're boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

"I don't know. Does it work like that?" Edward asked.

"I don't think so. I don't want a boyfriend."

"I don't want a girlfriend. But if I did, I would want it to be you."

'Yeah, me too." Bella replied. The rest of the walk was silent, but both understood each other enough that talking wasn't required.

The promise made in third grade did not hold up for the rest of their lives. Edward had gotten a girlfriend, Lauren, in fifth grade. In fact, Edward had lots of girlfriends all throughout middle school. Bella preferred the company of her books. In high school, though, it was different. Both Edward and Bella dated several people, but always left time for one another—and would always tell each other every detail of their dates. Because there was never anything exciting to tell beyond kissing, neither of them felt the least bit uncomfortable about telling each other everything. Their junior year, though, everything changed.

**2006**

Edward had come over to Bella's after school for a study session. They did this at least three times a week. Their parents were very strict about their grades, so Bella and Edward studied together often in order to pass their classes with A's.

Edward let himself into Bella's house. He knew that she was expecting him, and they almost never knocked at each other's houses. They both knew that they were always welcome in either place. Bella heard the door open and called to him from the kitchen.

"Hey, I'm in here!"

Edward made it to the kitchen quickly. It was a short distance from the front door, but he was also excited and a little nervous. He had some exciting news to tell Bella.

"Hey, Bella." He greeted her with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Hey, smiley. What's got you so excited? It certainly can't be the history test we need to study for." She replied with a smile. She couldn't help but smile when he did. He was the same way with her.

"Nope. My date with Amy went really well is all."

"Oh? Well, tell me all about it!" Bella turned from her history textbook to face him. Amy went to their high school. Amy and Bella had been very good friends from the beginning of their time at the school. Amy, Bella, and Edward spent a lot of time together freshman year, and it was only natural that Edward and Amy started dating their sophomore year. Bella adored Amy—they got along very well. Plus, Amy was the only girlfriend of Edward's that understood the relationship between Bella and Edward. She understood that Bella and Edward were merely best friends.

"Well, you know that I was going to take her to Olive Garden in Port Angeles…" he began.

"Yeah." Bella said, providing the exact right amount of encouragement.

"Well, after dinner, we went to her place. And her parents weren't there like usual." Edward said. Bella could relate to that—her parents weren't around often either. But she knew all this about Amy.

"Get to the good stuff, Edward." She pushed.

"Okay, well, we were watching TV and then she was all over me, like, whoa. It was intense. Anyways, I won't give you all the dirty details, but we told each other we loved each other. And then, we, well, you know." He blushed and looked down at the tiles in the kitchen.

"You guys did it?" Bella exclaimed. She didn't really know how to feel about that. Part of her was happy for Edward because he was clearly very happy about his evening. Another part of her was…sad…She didn't understand this part, so she pushed it to the back of her head and smiled. "Well, I'm happy for you guys. You're obviously very happy. I'm glad you guys finally told each other that you love each other. I know you both have been holding that in for a while."

"Yeah, I didn't want to rush anything. But last night felt so right. It was great." Edward told her. He got up from the table and poured himself a glass of milk. He drank milk like it was his job.

"So, what is it like? Sex I mean?" Bella asked. The thought of sex scared and thrilled her. She knew she wasn't ready for it, but maybe someday soon.

"I don't know Bella. It's sex. It feels good. I think it hurt her though. She didn't really say it did, but I think it did. I don't really want to go into details about it. It's sorta personal." He said.

This statement hurt Bella a bit. It wasn't something they had ever said to one another before. Nothing had ever been too personal to talk about between them. But Bella assumed that he was different now. Sex changes people, she supposed. She let the conversation change from sex to the history test and the rest of the evening went on as previously planned.

It was easy for them to forget things that the other had done to hurt them. They were best friends, siblings almost. They understood each other better than anyone else—and they knew that neither of them would intentionally hurt the other. Therefore, it was easy to forgive and forget.

* * *

Both Edward and Bella had lead pretty normal lives. They weren't exposed to the dangers of the world in their tiny town. That didn't prevent them from tragedies, though. When they were in the eighth grade, Bella's mother and father got a divorce. Renee had been cheating on him with a minor league baseball player named Phil. She had met him in Port Angeles while she had been shopping. He had been there on a trip—his team was staying in a hotel in Port Angeles while they were on their way to the next city for a game. At first their affair had been only emotional. They texted and called one another daily. Then, it became physical. Renee would meet him in nearby towns and hotels. Once Charlie found out, Renee blamed him for her affair, stating that she never wanted this small town life. She left that night and never came back. She forced Charlie to drive Bella to see her in a Port Angeles hotel twice a week for a whole month while the divorce was being finalized. Once it was, Charlie was given full custody (which Renee was not too upset about), and Renee disappeared from their lives. She would call on occasion, to talk to Bella, but for the most part, she pretended as if her old life no longer existed. Esme never spoke to her again.

Charlie was devastated, and was in no condition to comfort his equally devastated daughter. That task fell to Edward's shoulders from then on. It took several months, but Edward finally convinced Bella that the divorce was not her fault and that her mother was just a terrible person.

Edward encountered his own tragedy several years later. After their senior year, Edward, Bella, and Amy had all planned to go to the University of Washington. They had all applied and been accepted. Edward's older brother, Emmett, went there, and they all three loved the idea of going to college together. However, fate had other plans. Amy's family moved to New York City. Her father had received a job at New York University as a professor. It was a huge upgrade from the community college in Port Angeles. His job at NYU meant that Amy would be given a 50% reduced price to the university. It was too good an opportunity to pass up, and she enrolled at NYU instead. Edward was devastated. Bella was, too. Edward vowed he would never love anyone the way he loved Amy. Bella believed him. She knew that their love was special and unmatchable. She cried with him the night she left for New York.

* * *

Their whole lives, Bella and Edward had been told that their relationship was weird. Boyfriends and girlfriends were quickly scared off (with the exception of Amy, of course). Friends and family would constantly suggest that they start dating—or stop hanging out with one another so much. Through it all, Edward and Bella would remind their friends and family that they didn't like one another "in that way". Their relationship was a confusing one, for sure. It worked for them though. They wouldn't change it for the world.

After they began their lives in college, Bella and Edward promised one another that they would never desert each other. They would always be there to comfort one another and help one another through any situation—no matter how dire. Edward promised to protect Bella from everything. Bella promised to take care of Edward no matter what.

Unfortunately, even Bella and Edward knew that promises would always find a way to be broken.

_A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little history chapter. The next chapter returns to present day, and the drama begins! Something mysterious is in store for our two favorite characters. Some tragedy, some romance, and a lot of drama. Stay tuned and don't forget to review!_


	3. Chapter Three

The combination of coffee, Advil, and Bella's company worked their magic on Edward's hangover. Slowly, his headache subsided and his stomach began feeling more normal. He was less than thrilled about the fight that he and Rebecca had gotten in the night before, but was pleased that Bella had at least tried to appease her. He knew that was probably difficult for Bella to do. He didn't really understand why, but the people (especially the women in his life) had a very difficult time accepting his relationship with Bella. His mother, his sister, and his significant others all tried to convince him to change his relationship with her. His mother and sister were very adamant that the two of them belonged together—although the idea made him both laugh and cringe. His significant others, on the other hand, had never been able to accept his friendship with Bella as a simple friendship. The only one who did was Amy, and she was long gone now—getting her doctorate in biochemistry at the prestigious NYU. His infrequent emails with her had told him that she would start her first semester in the doctorate program this month. He was proud of her, but he couldn't help but miss her some days.

After about 20 minutes of teasing and conversation since Edward had entered Bella's room, the two of them were ready to really start their lazy Sunday. As usual, the two of them would spend the day together. For the most part, this meant watching TV—football when applicable, or Netflix during the off season. The Washington Redskins were their obvious choice of favorite team. It was only August, however, and while football season was mere weeks away, it hadn't begun just yet. This meant they would be spending the day watching their current favorite TV series: The Tudors. It had been Bella's choice, but Edward was enjoying it. He had chosen Doctor Who last month. It had taken them all month to get through the six seasons of Doctor Who on Netflix—and they watched it more than just Sundays. The Tudors wasn't nearly as long. Once they could get their hands on Season 7 of Doctor Who, they would switch back again.

Bella poured them both a bowl of cereal—Frosted Flakes for her and Froot Loops for him—and Edward poured them each another cup of coffee. They both sat down in front of the TV and using Bella's laptop (which was plugged into the TV), they began the next episode of The Tudors. Bella was unusually quiet during the episode. It was strange because she had the habit of responding to events happening on the TV. She would make sarcastic comments, talk to the characters, or make observations to Edward during the show. It annoyed the hell out of most of their friends, but Edward loved that quirk about her. It was always interesting to watch TV with Bella. After about 20 minutes of silence, Edward nudged her knee with his own. She jerked, as if she had been far away in her own thoughts.

"Bee, you okay?" Edward asked, he looked concerned, especially because she had jumped.

"Um, yeah. I'm alright. Just thinking." Bella said, but she didn't act as though she was going to elaborate on it. Edward waited for her to do so, but once he realized she would need more prompting, he turned to face her.

"Talk to me." He said softly.

"It's nothing, Edward. I don't really want to talk about it. It's nothing." She responded, looking at her hands in her lap. She was very uncomfortable, Edward could tell. It was weird for her to be uncomfortable around him, though, and it worried him.

"It doesn't look like nothing." Edward said, with a bit more venom than he had intended. It hurt him that she didn't want to talk to him.

"Don't. Just don't. Okay? I promise it's not a big deal." She said, touching his arm.

"Fine." He sighed, not really giving up. They watched the rest of the episode in silence. Once the credits started rolling, Edward started to get up to start the next episode. Bella stopped him by putting her hand on his knee. He sat back down.

"I love you." She told him quietly.

"I love you, too, Bee." He smiled softly at her. They had said this to one another countless times before.

"No, I mean I _love_ you." She put emphasis on the L-word.

"Oh. Um…oh." It was Edward's turn to be silent and stare at his hands.

"I'm sorry." Bella told him. She knew this completely changed and probably ruined everything.

"So…um…I…um…when?" Edward couldn't form a clear thought.

"I don't really know. It just sorta happened." Bella responded carefully. What happened next surprised both of them. Edward reached out, cupped her face, and brought it to his own. Seconds later, they were kissing with all of the passion they could muster. Before long, clothes began flying and the carefully protected and defended "just friends" status of their relationship was altered forever.

Outside of the tiny apartment, a woman who thought she had Edward's heart was reduced to tears as she listened to what unfolded inside the walls. She had come to surprise him, knowing that he always spent Sunday at Bella's. At the first moans of pleasure, she turned and ran.

* * *

The lovemakers hadn't even made it to the bedroom, but gave way to their passions right on the couch. Almost immediately after his release, Edward felt an immense shame mixed with severe awkwardness. This wasn't right. He was with Rebecca. Bella was just his friend. They had both struggled with feelings beyond that of friendship more than once during their lifelong bond. It wasn't new to them to feel something more for each other. It just had never happened at the same time before, and they always moved past it—acknowledging that their friendship was too important for that sort of thing. He still didn't believe that he felt anything in return for Bella. She had looked so helpless and sad, he had only wanted to comfort her. He had taken it too far, and now there was nothing he could do to change it.

He stood up quickly and began putting his clothes back on.

"Bella, I…um, this wasn't right. I mean, it was a mistake, right?" Edward said, struggling to find words again. Bella, seeing him look so upset, also started putting her own clothes back on. This wasn't how she imagined making love to Edward would be. She had expected something more, something…special. Instead, she felt used and alone.

"It would seem so now, wouldn't it?" Bella responded, fighting back tears, but with obvious anger coating her words.

"I mean, we're friends, Bee. Friends! And I'm with Rebecca…" He trailed off and his voice got quiet.

"Rebecca! She's a bitch, Edward! She treats you and me like shit!"

"No, she doesn't. Don't talk about her like that."

"Fuck you, Edward. Fuck all of this." Bella grabbed for her purse on the side table by the couch and took the three steps out of the door. She slammed it, and with tears running down her face, got in her car and drove away. She didn't know where she was going—just that she didn't want to be here.

Edward, physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted, collapsed on the couch with tears of his own.

* * *

That evening, after several hours of waiting for Bella to come back and after several attempts to call her, Edward finally decided to leave her apartment and head home. On his way home, he called Rebecca and asked her to meet him there. He had something important to tell her.

She was waiting in the driveway when he got there. She could tell something was bothering him, and followed him into the house silently. Once inside, he ushered her to the living room where they both sat on the couch.

"Bella told me that she loved me today. Like, really loves me." Edward told her, deciding that the 'ripping off the Band-Aid' approach was best. Rebecca's response was to break down and cry. Edward touched her shoulder, trying to comfort her, but she pulled away.

"Why are you telling me this?" Rebecca asked him.

"I guess I thought you should know." He told her. After seeing her reaction to Bella's confession, he decided it was best not to tell her how the rest of their morning had gone.

"So what did you say back?"

"That I was dating you." He responded.

"That we're dating? That was your answer? So if I wasn't in your way, you'd be with her?" She yelled.

"No! I didn't mean it like that! You're not in my way!" He yelled back. She shook her head, obviously not believing him.

"Did anything else happen? You guys just talked?" Rebecca asked, quieter now.

Edward shook his head violently, "No, I promise. That was all. After I told her that I was with you, she got mad and left. I was trying to get a hold of her all day, waiting to see if she would come back to the apartment so we could talk about it, but she never did. She probably went to her dad's or something."

Rebecca hung her head. She wasn't appeased in the slightest. A new round of tears started to flow. "I've tried really hard, Edward. I really have. You don't understand how this relationship with Bella that you have affects me. I know that you've been friends forever. I know that she's important to you. But I have friends, too, you know? And I don't have the relationship with them that you and Bella have. It's like you share something that no one else can have. I will never be able to have that relationship with you. I'm a strong believer in friendship as the basis for any romantic relationship. If a relationship is going to last between a boyfriend and girlfriend and turn into something more, they have to be best friends, too. But no one can be that for you, because that job is already taken. You know? It's hard to compete with that." She stopped to wipe the tears from her eyes, but more just fell.

"Rebecca, I.." Edward started but she held up her hand.

"No, let me finish." She said. He nodded.

"You and I will never have that sort of relationship. It's only something that you and Bella can have—no one else can get between you. I'm tired of being around the two of you and feeling as if I'm the third wheel. Like I'm getting in your way. You share so many memories and inside jokes. Sometimes you guys don't even have to talk to one another—just share a look—and you'll be in hysterics. I will never share that with you. And maybe it's not fair, but I want to have that sort of relationship with you. I want to share jokes and looks and memories. Sure, we have some of that, but not like you and Bella. It's not easy being around the two of you. Even when it's just you and me, you talk about her a lot. You text her a lot. It's like my company isn't good enough. She's the one you want to be around. And now that I know she's in love with you…I just, I don't know if I can hold out any longer. I feel you slipping away and I don't know what to do." She stopped talking and wiped away more tears.

"Rebecca. I'm with you, not her. Just because she feels that way doesn't mean I do. I want to be with you, I really really do." He took her in his arms and hugged her as tightly as he could. "Please believe me."

She pulled out of his hug and held his face in between her hands. "I do believe you Edward. I believe that you want to be with me. That that's how you feel right now. Or at least, that's how you want to feel right now. But I also know that this changes everything. And changes nothing. Not only am I going to have to compete for your friendship, but now I'm going to have to compete for your love, too. I just can't do this. I'm not strong enough. I'm not a good enough person to be able to share you. I want you to myself, and that's just not possible. I'd be a fool to think it was."

Edward hung his hand, because he knew that if she gave him an ultimatum between her and Bella, he'd pick Bella. "I'm sorry." He said.

She nodded, knowing the battle was lost. "Me, too. You really are a great guy, Edward. I hope you find happiness." She kissed his cheek and let herself out of the house. For the second time that day, Edward let his tears fall freely. This time, he wasn't sure if it was because Rebecca had broken up with him, or that he finally realized that he would pick Bella over any girl in the world.

_A/N: Thanks for reading! Hello to all my new readers! What are your opinions on Edward's reaction to Bella? What about Rebecca—I kinda feel bad for her, poor girl. Review and let me know what you think! If I get some reviews, I'll update again this week!_


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